Full-length transcriptome sheds light into the molecular mechanism of tea leaf yellowing induced by red light.

Light, as an energy source for plant photosynthesis, can not only affect the growth and development of plants, but also affect their leaf color. This study used white (WL), red (RL), and blue light (BL) to treat tea cuttings, aiming to investigate the effect of light quality on the color of tea leaves. The results showed that tea leaves turned yellow under red light, the SPAD and Fv/Fm values were significantly lower than WL and BL. Full-length transcriptome was analyzed, photosynthesis and chlorophyll biosynthesis related genes such as PsbS, Psb28, HemL, and POR had the lowest expression levels under RLCarotenoid biosynthesis related genes ZEP, ABA2, and CRTISO had the higher expression levels under RL. This study revealed the molecular mechanism of RL induced leaf yellowing in tea plants, providing new insights for the application of light quality in tea plants.